AnimalsThe pangolin is covered in hard, overlapping scales and rolls into a ball when in danger. It has no teeth. It breaks open ant and termite nests with its claws and laps up the insects with a very long sticky tongue. Pangolins are among the most illegally traded animals in the world.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Manis crassicaudata
- Group
- Mammals
- Diet
- Insectivore (eats insects and other small creatures)
- Lives in
- South Asia
- Habitat
- Forests, grassland and scrub
- A young one is called
- pangopup
- A group is called
- no special name
- Conservation status
- Endangered
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Mammalia
- Order Pholidota
- Family Manidae
- Genus Manis
- Species Manis crassicaudata
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The Indian pangolin is listed as Endangered. The species faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.